Fatores Associados aos Transtornos Mentais Comuns em Caminhoneiros

This study aimed to identify the risk factors of Common Mental Disorders (CMD) using a sample of 565 Brazilian truck drivers. For data capture were applied the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20), Scale subscale of Psychosocial risks and questionnaire with socio-demographic, working and occupational stressors. The results obtained by multivariate binary logistic regression analysis, have explained the 39.9% of variation on CMD. The occupational stressor working hours is the predictor variable with highest impact, may implying in an increase of 5.41 times more chance of the trucker to present CMD. The results indicate actions by management level as work organization and public authorities with regard to the external work conditions.Este estudo objetivou identificar os fatores de risco dos Transtornos Mentais Comuns (TMC) em uma amostra de 565 caminhoneiros brasileiros. Para a coleta de dados, foram utilizados o Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20), Subescalas da Escala de Riscos Psicossociais e questionários sociodemográfico, laboral e de estressores ocupacionais. Os resultados obtidos por meio da análise de Regressão Logística Binária Multivariada explicaram 39,9% das variações dos TMC. A variável preditora de maior impacto foi o estressor ocupacional jornada de trabalho que implicou em um aumento de 5,41 vezes mais chance do caminhoneiro apresentar TMC. Os resultados sugerem ações por parte dos gestores quanto à organização do trabalho e por parte do poder público no que diz respeito às condições externas de trabalho

No-Till Mitigates SOC Losses after Grassland Renovation and Conversion to Silage Maize

Many studies recommend no-till (NT) to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) in the topsoil (<30 cm) of arable land to counterbalance greenhouse gas emissions. Its potential use to mitigate SOC losses during conversion and renovation of grassland ecosystems in the top meter soil is yet to be determined. The SOC dynamics of a 10-year-old grassland converted to silage maize (CM) and renovated and seeded (GR) using either conventional tillage (CT) or NT were compared to an undisturbed grassland control (GC) for 7 years, across three fixed soil depth increments (0–30, 30–60, 60–90 cm). The annual C inputs (Cinput) from crop residues were further analyzed. The systems were either non-fertilized (N0) or fertilized with mineral N (N1) according to a demand of 180 and 380 kg N ha−1 year−1 in the silage maize and grassland systems, respectively. For the 7-year period, the renovated grassland using NT ensured maintenance of the initial SOC in the topsoil, while a conversion toward arable cropping resulted in SOC losses, regardless of the tillage method. The use of NT during conversion significantly reduced these losses from 2.5 Mg ha−1 year−1 to 1.8 Mg ha−1 year−1, for a 28% reduction compared to CT. In the subsoil (30–90 cm), SOC remained stable and was not affected by the cropping systems nor by the tillage method. Reduced annual Cinput was found as the main factor affecting SOC losses after grassland removal, regardless of the tillage method. Our findings highlight the potential of NT to mitigate annual SOC losses after grassland conversion if annual Cinput remains high

ARQUITETURA COMERCIAL: ESTÍMULO E CRESCIMENTO PARA EMPREENDIMENTOS DE VAREJO

Os espaços urbanos, sejam eles abertos ou fechados, influenciam o dia-dia das pessoas e são meios de interação e trocas. As experiências de vivência são ainda mais relevantes quando se fala de ambientes comercias, e a arquitetura se torna uma aliada no processo de planejamento desses espaços, pois além do cuidado com o conceito estético há a preocupação com a obtenção de resultados. Na referida pós-graduação, houve uma pesquisa realizada por meio de revisão teórica e, a partir dela, elaborado um artigo sobre o que é arquitetura comercial, como forma avaliativa do componente. Os estabelecimentos iniciam o contato com o cliente muito antes dele adentrar ao espaço físico, e isto acontece por meio do passeio, da fachada ou da vitrine. Um exemplo do que incomoda e desvaloriza um espaço comercial na borda da rua é o prolongamento da área de vendas para a calçada. Ao passo que o espaço externo atrai clientes e potencializa a marca, o ambiente interno precisa envolver e estar em sintonia com o cliente final. O profissional da arquitetura estará preocupado em desenvolver uma proposta que favoreça aspectos visuais, táteis, sonoros e olfativos, permitindo assim que o ambiente se torne uma referência em experiência de uso. Sendo assim, um espaço comercial bem elaborado, que receba o cliente de maneira confortável e que o permita viver uma experiência diferenciada, o motiva a comprar e a retornar ao estabelecimento

Aging effects on prefrontal cortex oxygenation in a posture-cognition dual-task: an fNIRS pilot study

The aging process alters upright posture and locomotion control from an automatically processed to a more cortically controlled one. The present study investigated a postural-cognitive dual-task paradigm in young and older adults using functional Near- Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS).Methods: Twenty healthy participants (10 older adults 72 ± 3 y, 10 young adults 23 ± 3 y) performed a cognitive (serial subtractions) and a postural task (tandem stance) as single-tasks (ST) and concurrently as a dual-task (DT) while the oxygenation levels of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) were measured.Results: In the cognitive task, young adults performed better than older adults in both conditions (ST and DT) and could further increase the number of correct answers from ST to DT (all ps ≤ 0.027) while no change was found for older adults. No significant effects were found for the postural performance. Cerebral oxygenation values (O2Hb) increased significantly from baseline to the postural ST (p = 0.033), and from baseline to the DT (p = 0.031) whereas no changes were found in deoxygenated hemoglobin (HHb). Finally, the perceived exertion differed between all conditions (p ≤  0.003) except for the postural ST and the DT (p = 0.204).Conclusions: There was a general lack of age-related changes except the better cognitive performance under motor-cognitive conditions in young compared to older adults. However, the current results point out that DLPFC is influenced more strongly by postural than cognitive load. Future studies should assess the different modalities of cognitive as well as postural load

ENGAJAMENTO OU ADIÇÃO AO TRABALHO? ESTUDO QUALITATIVO COM GESTORES

As exigências dirigidas aos gestores são consequência da transformação do mundo do trabalho, podendo levar ao aumento da jornada laboral e ao máximo envolvimento físico e mental. Esse estudo tem como objetivo avaliar a tendência de perfil dos gestores de uma empresa de construção civil, considerando os comportamentos de engajamento e adição ao trabalho. O método utilizado foi o descritivo, de abordagem qualitativa. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas com seis gestores administrativos e foram analisados pela técnica de análise de conteúdo. Os resultados apontaram que os gestores apresentam uma tendência ao excesso de trabalho, extensão da carga horária laboral e desequilíbrio entre o tempo dedicado ao trabalho, lazer e família. Espera-se que os resultados desse estudo contribuam a continuidade de estudos acerca da adição ao trabalho, fenômeno recente e ainda pouco estudado, de forma a desenvolver estratégias de prevenção, promoção e intervenção, tanto individuais quanto organizacionais.

Glutamate-induced depression of EPSP–spike coupling in rat hippocampal CA1 neurons and modulation by adenosine receptors

The presence of high concentrations of glutamate in the extracellular fluid following brain trauma or ischaemia may contribute substantially to subsequent impairments of neuronal function. In this study, glutamate was applied to hippocampal slices for several minutes, producing over-depolarization, which was reflected in an initial loss of evoked population potential size in the CA1 region. Orthodromic population spikes recovered only partially over the following 60 min, whereas antidromic spikes and excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) showed greater recovery, implying a change in EPSP–spike coupling (E–S coupling), which was confirmed by intracellular recording from CA1 pyramidal cells. The recovery of EPSPs was enhanced further by dizocilpine, suggesting that the long-lasting glutamate-induced change in E–S coupling involves NMDA receptors. This was supported by experiments showing that when isolated NMDA-receptor-mediated EPSPs were studied in isolation, there was only partial recovery following glutamate, unlike the composite EPSPs. The recovery of orthodromic population spikes and NMDA-receptor-mediated EPSPs following glutamate was enhanced by the adenosine A1 receptor blocker DPCPX, the A2A receptor antagonist SCH58261 or adenosine deaminase, associated with a loss of restoration to normal of the glutamate-induced E–S depression. The results indicate that the long-lasting depression of neuronal excitability following recovery from glutamate is associated with a depression of E–S coupling. This effect is partly dependent on activation of NMDA receptors, which modify adenosine release or the sensitivity of adenosine receptors. The results may have implications for the use of A1 and A2A receptor ligands as cognitive enhancers or neuroprotectants

Modulating local airway immune responses to treat allergic asthma: lessons from experimental models and human studies

With asthma affecting over 300 million individuals world-wide and estimated to affect 400 million by 2025, developing effective, long-lasting therapeutics is essential. Allergic asthma, where Th2-type immunity plays a central role, represents 90% of child and 50% of adult asthma cases. Research based largely on animal models of allergic disease have led to the generation of a novel class of drugs, so-called biologicals, that target essential components of Th2-type inflammation. Although highly efficient in subclasses of patients, these biologicals and other existing medication only target the symptomatic stage of asthma and when therapy is ceased, a flare-up of the disease is often observed. Therefore, it is suggested to target earlier stages in the inflammatory cascade underlying allergic airway inflammation and to focus on changing and redirecting the initiation of type 2 inflammatory responses against allergens and certain viral agents. This focus on upstream aspects of innate immunity that drive development of Th2-type immunity is expected to have longer-lasting and disease-modifying effects, and may potentially lead to a cure for asthma. This review highlights the current understanding of the contribution of local innate immune elements in the development and maintenance of inflammatory airway responses and discusses available leads for successful targeting of those pathways for future therapeutics

Alterations of immune response of non-small lung cancer with azacytidine

Innovative therapies are needed for advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). We have undertaken a genomics based, hypothesis driving, approach to query an emerging potential that epigenetic therapy may sensitize to immune checkpoint therapy targeting PD-L1/PD-1 interaction. NSCLC cell lines were treated with the DNA hypomethylating agent azacytidine (AZA - Vidaza) and genes and pathways altered were mapped by genome-wide expression and DNA methylation analyses. AZA-induced pathways were analyzed in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project by mapping the derived gene signatures in hundreds of lung adeno (LUAD) and squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) samples. AZA up-regulates genes and pathways related to both innate and adaptive immunity and genes related to immune evasion in a several NSCLC lines. DNA hypermethylation and low expression of IRF7, an interferon transcription factor, tracks with this signature particularly in LUSC. In concert with these events, AZA up-regulates PD-L1 transcripts and protein, a key ligand-mediator of immune tolerance. Analysis of TCGA samples demonstrates that a significant proportion of primary NSCLC have low expression of AZA-induced immune genes, including PD-L1. We hypothesize that epigenetic therapy combined with blockade of immune checkpoints - in particular the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway - may augment response of NSCLC by shifting the balance between immune activation and immune inhibition, particularly in a subset of NSCLC with low expression of these pathways. Our studies define a biomarker strategy for response in a recently initiated trial to examine the potential of epigenetic therapy to sensitize patients with NSCLC to PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade